Chronicle endorsements for other state offices

United States' Senator Dianne Feinstein talks to the San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, April 3, 2018.

Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Dianne Feinstein

(Democrat)*

“If moderation is now a relic, as (challenger Kevin) de León and other Feinstein critics are suggesting, the country has bigger problems than electing California’s next senator. Feinstein’s pragmatic, centrist approach ... is still better for the state and the country than separating into mutually hostile tribes.”

“Becerra has not hesitated to defend California’s values against the Trump administration. He’s brought 31 lawsuits against the administration, on issues ranging from the travel ban on people from Muslim-majority countries to the attempted rollback of fracking regulations on public lands.”

Secretary of State

Alex Padilla

(Democrat)*

“In a state that lagged in participation and other measures when he took office, Padilla’s focus on expanding voting and registration is the right one, and his success so far in doing so has earned him another term.”

Treasurer

Fiona Ma

(Democrat)

“The 52-year-old San Francisco Democrat showed a sense of responsibility to taxpayers that would suit the job she’s seeking. Along with her background in finance and politics, it makes her the best candidate to succeed state Treasurer John Chiang.”

Controller

Betty Yee

(Democrat)*

“Yee, a Democrat who’s running for a second term, has been a thoughtful and responsible steward of California’s checkbook. Thanks to Yee’s leadership, along with the fiscal discipline of Gov. Jerry Brown and state legislators, the state’s credit rating for general obligations has ticked upward for nearly every year she’s been in office.”

Insurance Commissioner

Steve Poizner

(Independent)

“Poizner makes a persuasive case that he wants to return to the office, and there is no dispute about either his knowledge of the issues or his effectiveness when he was in the post. His tenure oversaw the arrests of more than 3,000 people for insurance fraud and savings of almost $2 billion in lower insurance rates for drivers and homeowners.”

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Marshall Tuck

“Tuck made a name for himself in Los Angeles turning around high-poverty, low-performing charter schools before then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recruited him to improve schools within the conventional public school system. He spent two years with the New Teacher Center, a national organization in Santa Cruz that works to improve student learning by training new teachers and school leaders to be more effective.”